You know those single women who wear engagement rings so that men won’t approach them at bars? This is the opposite of that.

A new startup called MY Single World is trying to convince bachelors and bachelorettes that wearing “MY Single Band,” a $9 Livestrong-style bracelet advertising that they’re single, will help them find their true loves. So the idea is: see someone attractive on the street, check out their wristband, then approach.

Creators Rob Young and Rina Mardahl claim that the silicone wristbands—embossed with the words “fate,” “destiny,” and “future”—are the “future of dating,” according to their site.

If these bracelets catch on, dating websites will be obsolete, the co-founders claim. “Online dating isn’t for everyone, and if you don’t go to bars and clubs, then often it can be very difficult to meet other singles,” Young told the Daily News. “We wanted to create something that would connect singles in everyday life, be stylish and identifiable and still allow for chemistry between couples.”

Young and Mardahl say they came up with the concept based on their own romance. The couple met by chance while both on vacation in Spain. (The “M” and “Y” in MY Single Band stand for Mardahl and Young.)

But the startup doesn’t have singles totally convinced. One blogger on Cosmopolitanpoints out that her engagement ring has rarely stopped men from approaching her. Women’s relationship status is not what deters men from approaching them; more likely, they hesitate because of fear of rejection.

A writer on Jezebel also notes that unless all singles in the world understand the meaning of the band, it will prove fairly ineffectual. There are so many rubber bracelets on the market right now, that it could be mistaken with anything else—especially since MY Singles Bands come in seven different colors. For that matter, even if a woman is wearing a MY Single Band, how can the approacher know if she’s gay or straight? How much can color-coded wrist bands clarify?

Now who will buy MY Single Bands? Young acknowledged that there might be a stigma around advertising one’s availability. But he said that he believed people shouldn’t be embarrassed or ashamed to show that they’re not in a relationship. “When MY Single Band becomes popular these concerns will disappear because it will be widely accepted,” he said. “The same process has happened with online dating.”

Yes, but singles don’t walk around with their OkCupid profile on their T-shirts.

I see lots of singles wristbands or singles bracelets like the one described above or more complex ones like the one at http://singlesoutlooking.com coming up in the news - which are the best to wear? the simple ones or the ones with more information?

"they hesitate because of fear of rejection?" Actually we just don't want to deal with the "hear-me-roar -- Angry, vile, unapologetic and flippant" mental break-down in the middle of a crowd. We've learned our lessons. We are not fearful of rejection.

Singleringen began in 2005, http://www.singlering.org/ Each ring is numbered, registered and the bearer is connected with an online community. More unique than the myriad silicone bracelets everywhere these days and yet after 9 years it still isn't common knowledge... leads me to question the prospects for this wristband.